FIA should not block Antonelli’s F1 debut - Verstappen

Max Verstappen thinks F1’s governing body, the FIA, should not block 17-year-old Kimi Antonelli from entering the sport immediately.

Recently, it emerged that a team - probably Mercedes-powered Williams - had applied to the FIA for special dispensation so that Antonelli can make his race debut prior to his 18th birthday in late August.

Triple world champion Verstappen, who was 17 when he made his debut in 2015, said the minimum age requirement of 18 in Formula 1 "was introduced because of me".

Additionally, the FIA required that drivers are only eligible for a F1 super license if they accrue 40 points by succeeding in various categories below Formula 1.

Verstappen also would not have had the 40 points when he made his debut at 17. Antonelli, on the other hand, has already collected his necessary 40 points.

"Ultimately, the rule does not prevent what it is intended to do," Verstappen, the now 26-year-old Dutchman, told motorsport-total.com.

"It’s not specifically about Antonelli, but it could prevent some talents from getting into Formula 1 quickly, because they first have to collect the 40 points. I’m not a big fan of it - of this whole system," he admitted.

"If someone is 17 or 18 years old and has maybe 20 points but is very fast, why shouldn’t he get into Formula 1?"